In a message dated 05/26/2001 10:23:27 PM Pacific Daylight Time, craigtompkins@t... writes: craigtompkins@t... writes:
<< use a rubber band that I slowly stretch on the crescendo and then slowly release on the decrescendo. It gives me something to look at as well as feel in a different part of my body that correlates to the subtle and smooth changes in muscular activity necessary for a well executed messa di voce >>
Hi Naomi, I'm with Craig on this one................another thing I notice though is that I have to be absolutely sure not to start the sound with an aspirate (H). If I start the sound with an almost silent glottal, (really if you are very sensitive to the way your voice feels, you can "feel" the glottal without any sound) then I almost never have any problems with the cresecendo or descrescendo. ALso, I try to hold the original vowel that I start with, without much modification. The only slight adjustment I may make is to drop the jaw slightly. Remember that any changes to the acoustical track, also can influence changes at the vibrator level and may cause the bumps you are talking about. Oh! Also, making sure that I don't crescendo past my voices ability to hold that much air pressure at the time. Otherwise I'm inviting a lot of extrinsic muscle action and tension into the tone. Just getting to the most amplitude I can handle and sitting on it for a moment before going into the descrescendo will build strength. Another question, is whether or not you are doing the messa di voce on one tone or on an ascending/descending scale? THere would have to be some vowel adjustment, most likely, if you are moving around, and depending on what passagi's you are moving through, that may also be the reason why you are "bumping". Not only is your voice having to negotiate pitch changes, but they are also having to deal with increases and decreases in air pressure............just a thought.
Okay, not enough coffee this morning, so I hope this was somewhat coherent :) Good luck. Mary Beth Felker
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